How to uninstall ToDesk on Mac

ToDesk is more than an app in Applications. Its official installer adds background services under /Library, a privileged helper, an audio output driver and a device registration file, so dragging ToDesk.app to the Trash leaves most of it running or on disk. Before you start, copy any session recordings you want to keep out of ~/Library/ToDesk, and note your device code if you plan to reinstall. This guide covers the official download from todesk.com. ToDesk has no Homebrew cask, so there is no Homebrew route to describe.

Quit ToDesk first

Click the ToDesk icon in the menu bar and choose to quit ToDesk. In the recorded test ToDesk ran as five processes started by launchd, and one of its services is set to keep the app alive, so the app can reopen after you quit it until its launch items are gone. Check Activity Monitor for ToDesk processes before you move anything. If ToDesk keeps coming back, remove the launch items in the table below first, then restart the Mac.

Removing ToDesk does not cancel a paid ToDesk plan or delete your ToDesk account.

What the official installer puts on your Mac

The system items need an administrator password to move. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G, paste the folder path, and move only the ToDesk item named below to the Trash. Never remove the parent folders.

Location What it holds What to do
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.youqu.todesk.startup.plist, /Library/LaunchAgents/com.youqu.todesk.session.plist Launch agents that start ToDesk for each login session Remove once ToDesk has quit
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.youqu.todesk.service.plist, com.youqu.todesk.UninstallerHelper.plist, com.youqu.todesk.UninstallerWatcher.plist The background service and ToDesk's own uninstall helper and watcher Remove together with the helper below
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.youqu.todesk.UninstallerHelper Privileged helper tool Remove after its launch daemon
/Library/Application Support/ToDesk System-wide program data Remove once the service is gone
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/ToDeskOutputDriver.driver Audio output driver used to carry sound to the remote side Remove, then restart so Core Audio drops it
/private/etc/todesk Holds only reg.conf: this Mac's random device ID, name and registration data Remove if you do not want a reinstall to come back as the same remote-control device
~/Library/ToDesk Your session recordings (a record folder) Keep or copy out anything you want first
~/Library/Application Support/ToDesk Per-user app data Review, then remove

These paths are local observations from Mole's tests of ToDesk 4.10 and 5.1, not a list published by ToDesk. The same bundle identifier, com.youqu.todesk.mac, names its preferences and caches under ~/Library.

Because the uninstall helper and watcher are not documented publicly, do not assume that moving the app to the Trash makes ToDesk clean up after itself. Check the result instead.

After removal, ToDesk may still be listed under System Settings › Privacy & Security for Screen Recording, Accessibility or similar permissions. Remove those entries there with the minus button if you like; they grant nothing once the app is gone.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in Terminal. They search for com.youqu rather than the word "todesk", because Cursor and other apps built with ToDesktop carry com.todesktop identifiers that have nothing to do with ToDesk.

pgrep -il todesk
ls /Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons | grep -i com.youqu
ls -d /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/ToDeskOutputDriver.driver
ls -d /private/etc/todesk
ls -d ~/Library/ToDesk
pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i com.youqu
  • No output from pgrep means ToDesk is not running. A listed process means a launch item is still loaded; remove the launch items and restart.
  • No output from the ls /Library/... line means all five launch items are gone. Any com.youqu.todesk name means that file is still installed.
  • For the three ls -d lines, "No such file or directory" means the item is gone. A printed path means it is still there, which for ~/Library/ToDesk is expected if you kept your recordings.
  • pkgutil lists installer receipts. A receipt is only a record of the installation; it does not run anything. A reinstall writes new ones.

For other apps that leave services running after the app is gone, see App Still Running After Uninstall on Mac? Find Login Items and Launch Tasks.

What Mole lists

When you remove it with Mole:

  • The five launch items, the uninstall helper, /Library/Application Support/ToDesk and the audio driver are listed but not selected. Ticking them asks for an administrator password, and Mole removes the launch items before the files that depend on them. /private/etc/todesk is listed the same way, and only while it holds nothing but reg.conf.
  • ~/Library/ToDesk (recordings) and ~/Library/Application Support/ToDesk are listed but not selected.
  • Preferences and caches named after com.youqu.todesk.mac are selected by default.
  • Mole matches ToDesk by its exact bundle identifier and file list, never by the word "todesk", so Cursor's com.todesktop data is never offered here.
  • Privacy permissions in System Settings are not changed by Mole.

What this test covered

ToDesk was tested twice with Mole Preview builds. On September 19, 2026, ToDesk 5.1.0.0 was taken out of the official .pkg without running the installer, so no system components were present; the uninstall removed the app and found an empty recordings folder in ~/Library/ToDesk. On September 24, 2026, the official installer was run and the result removed with Preview 287: the five launch items, the uninstall helper, /Library/Application Support/ToDesk, the user log files and ~/Library/ToDesk went to the Trash. The audio driver was skipped as needing administrator access, and /private/etc/todesk was not on Mole's list in that run; both were moved to the Trash by hand, and neither has been re-tested on a live install. Signing in, remote sessions and real recordings were not part of either test.